Finland (0)

Tartu Waldorf School
FINLAND
Report
Johan Mähar
Tartu 2008
Contents
p.
1. Introduction ....................................................................................................1
2. Nature and geography .....................................................................................2
3. Position and size .............................................................................................2
4. Climate............................................................................................................3
5. Flora and fauna ...............................................................................................4
6. Main fields of economy and industry..............................................................5
7. The people......................................................................................................6
8. Population......................................................................................................6
9. Traditions and culture.....................................................................................7
10. History..........................................................................................................8
11. Conclusion ....................................................................................................9
12. References....................................................................................................10
Introduction
I chose finland because there are friendly people and beautiful nature. Finland is bigger than Estonia. There lives over 5 milj. people. Finland capital is Helsingi and there lives about 2 milj. people. Highest top is 1328m. Finland is bordersed with Sweden to the west , Russia to the east and Norway to the north . It is the eight largest city in Europe . Most Finns speak Finnish . The second language is Swedish . Finland is rated the sixth most peaceful country in the World. In Finland there are more than 60000 lakes .
Capital: Helsinki

Area: 338145km2
Population: 5200000
Language: Finnish, Swedish
Currency : Euro (EUR)

Goverment: Parliamentary republic
President : Tarja Halonen
Prime Minister: Matti Vanhanen
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Nature and geography
Finland is a country of thousands of lakes and islands ; 187,888 lakes (larger than 500 m²) and 179,584 islands to be precise. One of these lakes, Saimaa , is the fifth largest in Europe. The Finnish landscape is mostly flat with few hills and its highest point, the Halti at 1,324 metres , is found in the extreme north of Lapland at the border between Finland and Norway.
The landscape is covered mostly ( seventy - five percent of land area) by coniferous taiga forests and fens, with little arable land . The most common type of rock is granite . It is a ubiquitous part of the scenery , visible wherever there is no soil cover . Moraine or till is the most common type of soil, covered by a thin layer of humus of biological origin. The greater part of the islands are found in southwest in the Archipelago Sea, part of the archipelago of the Åland Islands, and along the southern coast in the Gulf of Finland.
Finland is one of the few countries in the world whose surface area is still growing. Owing to the post-glacial rebound that has been taking place since the last ice age, the surface area of the country is growing by about 7 square kilometres (2.7 square miles ) a year .
The distance from the most Southern point – Hanko – to the most northern point of Finland – Nuorgam – is 1,445 kilometres (898 miles) (driving distance), which would take approximately 18.5 hours to drive . This is very similar to Great Britain (Land's End to John o' Groats – 1,404 kilometres (872 miles) and 16.5 h)
Finland is a land of all seasons. Its blue and white flag is said to represent the white snow of winter and the blue lakes of summer . In between the two is the dramatic spring when everything turns green in a week, and autumn , full of reds and browns as the leaves swirl over the city squares.Finland is certainly Scandinavia`s least understood and most culturally remote country.
Finland is covered by a mixture of forest and marshland. It seems , for every Finnish family to have an island or lake of its own, with plenty of space for visitors too. Inland lakes cover almost 10 percent of the country`s entire area. None of Finland`s lakes are very deep, however ; most of them averae around 100m (330ft). (www.wikipedia.org)
Position and size
Finland is made up of 11 provinces and the autonomous Ǻland Islands. It lies on the same latitude as Iceland , and one quarter of the country is inside the Artis Circle. Its northernmost point is at 70˚5`, the southernmost at 59˚ 30` (on the same latitude as Oslo ), the westerly point at 19˚7`and the easternmost at 31˚35` (on the same line of Longitude as Ankara). The country covers a total surface area of 338,000sq km (130,550sq miles), and its coastline is some 4,600km (2,760 miles) long. (Finland: Insight compact guides)
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Climate
The climate in Southern Finland is a northern temperate climate. In Northern Finland, particularly in the Province of Lapland, a subarctic climate dominates, characterised by cold , occasionally severe, winters and relatively warm summers . The main factor influencing Finland's climate is the country's geographical position between the 60th and 70th northern parallels in the Eurasian continent 's coastal zone, which shows characteristics of both a maritime and a continental climate, depending on the direction of air flow. Finland is near enough to the Atlantic Ocean to be continuously warmed by the Gulf Stream, which explains the unusually warm climate considering the absolute latitude.
A quarter of Finland's territory lies above the Arctic Circle, and as a consequence the midnight sun can be experienced – for more days , the farther north one travels. At Finland's northernmost point, the sun does not set for 73 consecutive days during summer, and does not rise at all for 51 days during winter.(www.wikipedia.org)
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Flora and fauna
All terrestrial life in Finland was completely wiped out during the last ice age that ended some 10,000 years ago, following the retreat of the glaciers and the appearance of vegetation.
Today , there are over 1,200 species of vascular plant , 800 bryophytes and 1,000 lichen species in Finland, with flora being richest in the southern parts of the country. Plant life, like most of the Finnish ecology, is well adapted to tolerate the contrasting seasons and extreme weather. Many plant species, such as the Scots Pine, spruce, birch spread throughout Finland from Norway and only reached the western coast less than three millennia ago. Oak and maple grows in nature only in the southern part of Finland.
The Archipelago Sea, between the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland, is the largest archipelago in the world by number of islands; estimates vary between 20,000 and 50,000.
Similarly , Finland has a diverse and extensive range of fauna. There are at least sixty native mammalian species, 248 breeding bird species, over seventy fish species and eleven reptile and frog species present today, many migrating from neighbouring countries thousands of years ago.
Large and widely recognised wildlife mammals found in Finland are the Brown Bear (the national animal ), Gray Wolf, elk and reindeer . Other common mammals include the Red Fox, Red Squirrel, and Mountain Hare. Some rare and exotic species include the flying squirrel, Saimaa Ringed Seal and the Arctic fox, which is considered the most endangered . The Whooper Swan , the national bird of Finland, is a large Northern Hemisphere swan. The most common breeding birds are the Willow Warbler, Chaffinch and Redwing. Of some seventy species of freshwater fish, the northern pike, perch and others are plentiful. Salmon remains the favorite of fly rod enthusiasts.
The endangered Saimaa Ringed Seal, one of only three lake seal species in the world, exists only in the Saimaa lake system of southeastern Finland, down to only 300 seals today. It has become the emblem of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation .
Due to hunting and persecution in history, many animals such as the Golden Eagle, Brown Bear and Eurasian Lynx all experienced significant declines in population. However, their numbers have increased again in the 2000s, mainly as a result of careful conservation and the establishment of vast national parks. (www.wikipedia.org)
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Main fields of economy and industry
Finland has an industrial economy based on abundant forest resources, capital investments, and high technology.
The Finnish economy has made enormous strides since the severe recession of the early 1990s. Finland successfully joined the euro zone and has outperformed euro-area partners in terms of economic growth and public finance. In the last few years, the Finnish economy has performed reasonably well. Total output was 5% higher in 2006 than in 2005, but economic activity leveled off in the latter half of the year. GDP is predicted to grow by 4.4% in 2007, while 2008 is likely to show a slower rate of growth, estimated at 3.3%. Despite the current favorable outlook , there is a degree of uncertainty in the Finnish economy caused by the large fluctuations in electronics industry production , together with resource constraints . Cost and price pressures have increased, and there is a threat of industry’s price competitiveness starting to weaken.
Unemployment decreased significantly from 1994 to 7.7% in 2006 and is expected to drop to 6.7% in 2007. A relatively inflexible labor market and high employer- paid social security taxes hamper growth in employment . Labor bottlenecks are becoming more common in certain sectors, and this will increasingly restrict growth in output in the future. The main constraint to medium - term economic growth will be the drop in the population of working age once the post-war baby boomers reach retirement age.
Exports of goods and services contribute 32% of Finland's GDP. Metals and engineering ( including electronics) and timber (including pulp and paper ) are Finland's main industries. The United States is Finland's third most important trading partner outside of Europe. With a 3.8% share of imports in 2006, the United States was Finland's seventh-largest supplier. The total value of U.S. exports to Finland in 2006 was $2.6 billion . Major exports from the United States to Finland continue to be machinery, telecommunications equipment and parts, aircraft and aircraft parts, computers , peripherals and software, electronic components , chemicals, medical equipment, and some agricultural products . The primary competition for American companies comes from Russia, Germany , Sweden, and China . The main export items from Finland to the United States are electronics, machinery, ships and boats, paper and paperboard, refined petroleum products, telecommunications equipment and parts. In 2006, the United States was Finland's fourth -largest customer after Germany (11.3%), Sweden (10.5%), and Russia (10.1%), with an export share of 6.5%, or $5 billion. However, trade is only part of the totality : the 10 biggest Finnish companies in the United States have a combined turnover that is three times the value of Finland's total exports to the United States. About 2.3% of the Finnish GDP comes from exports to the United States.
Except for timber and several minerals, Finland depends on imported raw materials, energy, and some components for its manufactured products. Farms tend to be small, but farmers own sizable timber stands that are harvested for supplementary income in winter. The country's main agricultural products are dairy , meat, and grains . Finland's EU accession has accelerated the process of restructuring and downsizing of this sector . (www.state.gov)
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The people
The ` Nordic ` image of a person with blond hair and blue eyes is quite a rare sight on Finalnd; most of the population is dark-haired. This is because of the Finns` ancestry: the people who moved into the southwestern corner of today`s Finland from Estonia via the Baltic are referred to as `trans-Ural nomadic`. Three tribes settled in different areas ; the Suomalaiset (the Finns` word for themselves) decided to remain in the southern coastal provinces, and quikly altered their nomadic lifestyle; the Häme lääni settled the lake region, and the Karelians settled the forest regions to the east.
The name `Finland` dates back to Roman historian Tacitus (AD55-120). In his work Germania he mentioned a primitive people from the north called the Fenni; which was probably a reference to the Same (see below ), who at that time were living on and around the 60th parallel. Over the centuries the Same were gradually pushed further north, and today they live in Finnish Lapland.
Whichever part of the country they happen to come from, Finns have a lot in common: they all share deeply ingrained down-to-earth rural values combined with the spiritual qualities relating to the sauna. Many of them come from the land of Karelia which was split right down the middle by the Finno -Russian frontier after World War II; hardly anyone lives there now, but the Karelians` pride at being something quite separate from either Finns or Russians still remains. (Finland: Insight compact guides)

Population

Finland currently numbers 5,302,778 inhabitants and has an average population density of 17 inhabitants per square kilometre. This makes it, after Norway and Iceland, the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Finland's population has always been concentrated in the southern parts of the country, which is even more pronounced after twentieth- century urbanisation. The biggest and most important cities in Finland are the cities of the Greater Helsinki metropolitan area - Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo and Kauniainen - some of the other big cities include Tampere, Turku and Oulu.
The share of immigrants in Finland is among the lowest of the European Union countries. Foreign citizens comprise 2.3 percent of the population. Most of them are from Russia, Estonia and Sweden.(www.wikipedia.org)
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Traditions and culture
Finnish culture has been greatly influenced by the cultures of neighbours, particulary Sweden. Large numbers of ern coasts of Finland during the Middle Ages and Swedish is still an important language in the country. Much of Finnish literature before the mid-nineteenth century was written in Swedis. However with the rise of Finnish nationalismfrom about the 1840s, great impetus was given to the Finnish literary movement . Many distinguished works have been written in Finnish, including those by the contemporary authors Sillanpaa, Waltari and Jotuni. Some authors prefer tom write in Swedish, thereby reaching a larger public. The Finns have also been strongly influenced by German music. Since the late nineteenth century, however, conscious attempts to produce an indigenous Finnish music have been successful, such composers as Sibelius, Kajanus, Jarnefelt, Palmgren and Kilpinen have become widely recognised.
The Finnish language is part of the Finno-Ugric branch of the Ural-Altaic family of languages related to Hungarian, Estonian and Lapponic. Most of the people are Lutherans and there is freedom of worship. (New knowledge library: universal reference encyclopedia)
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History
The first inhabitants of Finland were the Sami (Lapp) people. When Finnish speakers migrated to Finland in the first millennium B.C., the Sami were forced to move northward to the arctic regions, with which they are traditionally associated. The Finns' repeated raids on the Scandinavian coast impelled Eric IX, the Swedish king , to conquer the country in 1157. It was made a part of the Swedish kingdom and converted to Christianity.
By 1809 the whole of Finland was conquered by Alexander I of Russia, who set up Finland as a grand duchy. The period of Russification (1809–1914) sapped Finnish political power and made Russian the country's official language. When Russia became engulfed by the March Revolution of 1917, Finland seized the opportunity to declare independence on Dec. 6, 1917.
The USSR attacked Finland on Nov. 30, 1939, after Finland refused to give in to Soviet territorial demands. The Finns staged a strong defense for three months before being forced to cede the Soviets 16,000 sq mi (41,440 sq km). Under German pressure , the Finns joined the Nazis against Russia in 1941, but they were defeated again and forced to cede the Petsamo area to the USSR. In 1948, a treaty of friendship and mutual assistance was signed by the two nations. Finland continued to pursue a foreign policy of nonalignment throughout the cold-war era.
Running on a platform to revitalize the economy, Ahtisaari, a Social Democrat, won the country's first direct presidential election in a runoff in Feb. 1994. Previously, presidents had been chosen by electors. Finland became a member of the European Union in Jan. 1995. On Jan. 1, 1999, Finland, along with ten other European countries, adopted the euro as its currency. In 2000, Tarja Halonen, who had been Finland's foreign minister, became its first woman president.
Since 1998, Finland has been judged to be the world's least corrupt country, according to the annual survey by the Berlin -based organization Transparency International. In April 2003, Finland appointed its first female prime minister, making it the only country in Europe with both a female president and prime minister. But Prime Minister Jaatteenmaki resigned after only two months in office when it was revealed that she had used leaked classified information against her rival in the election (she was acquitted of the charges the following year). In June , Defense Minister Matti Vanhanen was selected by parliament to replace her. In Jan. 2006, President Halonen was reelected. Vanhanen's Centre Party narrowly won parliamentary elections in March 2007, and he was reelected to a second term. (www.infoplease.com)
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Conclusion
New information for me was: history of Finland , traditions and culture and main fields of economy. Interesting was that the Finns' repeated raids on the Scandinavian coast was impelled by Eric IX, the Swedish king, to conquer the country in 1157. It was made a part of the Swedish kingdom and converted to Christianity. The Finnish language is part of the Finno-Ugric branch of the Ural-Altaic family of languages related to Hungarian, Estonian and Lapponic.Most of the people are Lutherans and there is freedom of worship. Finland has an industrial economy based on abundant forest resources, capital investments, and high technology. Finally I think that Finland is great coutry and I would like to live there.
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References
1. Finland: Insight compact guides. Singapore, 1995.
2. NEW KNOWLEDGE LIBRARY: universal reference encyclopedia. Sydney , 1981.
vol. 11.
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finland
4. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3238.ht m
5. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107513.html
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